The original recipe calls for yellow thread for the body, but I've found that relying on the deer hair alone can lead to poor flotation after only a few fish. I cut a thin strip of closed cell foam as seen in the picture and wrap it along the hook shank. Don't wrap too tightly, or the cells will collapse and defeat the purpose. With the foam, it floats forever and is even a great indicator fly to drift a nymph underneath.

Don't know how much you fish coldwater, but that pattern's a deadly stonefly/hopper imitation for trout. I tie them with orange bellies for the june stonefly hatches on the Deerfield.

Nice use of the foam - god's gift to fly tiers. For even more floatation, you can wind the hook with the thread/yarn of your choice, lay a strip of foam flat over the back of the hook, and lash down zonker-style. Lots of the new western stone patterns are tied this way.

Dave, I hear ya about the coldwater applications with this fly. I've used it as a stonefly imitation/indicator while trailing a stonefly nymph underneath, and it's driven some rainbows crazy. I've also used the same fly in the pic with shorter legs as a hopper imitation.

I'll give your suggestion about the zonker-style tie down a try. I suppose that having the foam on top of the hook shank lets the fly sit lower in the surface film.